1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to games normally played in an arcade environment, and more particularly to such games played by detecting the trajectory, position and identity of propelled objects with reference to designated targets.
2. Background of the Related Art
Games of many types are played in arcade environments. One type of game includes objects sensors for detecting objects thrown by players at provided targets.
An example of a game with an object sensor is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,281, of Leber et al., which describes a horseshoe-pitching game having a receiver assembly with a pit and stake for receiving a pitched horseshoe. A TV camera and computer are used to determine the final position of a horseshoe and the resulting score.
Another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,789,163, of Warner et al., which describes an indoor horseshoe-pitching game in which a stake is positioned in a receiving apparatus. A sensor grid determines the position of a thrown horseshoe and a score is displayed.
Yet another example is found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,545,576, of T. Harris., which describes an apparatus and method for computing the trajectory of a moving object. Video cameras and a computer identify a ball and compute its position in three dimensions as a function of time.
The object sensing games of the prior art, while enjoyable, are limited when determining the combination of a trajectory of a thrown object and the final resting position of the known object. These prior art games tend to determine one or the other of these characteristics, but not both. In addition, the prior art games tend to assume that the thrown object is a valid object and do not therefore determine the identity of an object or perform other validation procedures. Furthermore, the prior art games tend to require a great amount of operator supervision to prevent player abuses of the game and to compensate for changing environmental conditions. These limitations can be undesirable in an arcade environment for a game which identifies a thrown object and presents a score to a player based on the trajectory and the final position of the object.